Don't miss what's happening in Kingwood
People on Kingwood.com are the first to know.
Go to top of page
Close
 
Close
Back

Why parts of Houston flood

Why parts of Houston flood

123»
« Back
This discussion has been locked.
Message Menu
by: Retired_Engineer Active Indicator LED Icon 13 OP 
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 5:55pm  
I assumed that the flooding in Houston was just a result of poor drainage.  There was a good article in yesterday's Houston Chronicle about ground subsidence.  Parts of Houston have sunk up to 12 feet over the past 100 years.  Some areas are still sinking at a rate of 2 inches/year.The primary cause of this subsidence is a lowering of the aquifer level.  Our soil is primarily clay, silt, and gravel, so as water is removed from the aquifer, the ground sinks.Farms pump the most water from the aquifer via wells, but some people have wells for their personal water source.  Several different ideas for stabilizing this problem have been proposed but politicians pass it off to the next generation to deal with.Much of the farming in the Great Plains are facing a similar problem.  One of the biggest aquifers, the Ogallala Aquifer, which covers 8 states (including the Texas panhandle) has been dropping about 1 foot/year since 1920.  At some point, there will not be enough water for farming in many parts of those 8 states.  Many cities also get their water supply from the aquifer and those will take priority over farming. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
What are your thoughts? Log in or sign up to comment
Replies:
Message Menu
Retired_Engineer Active Indicator LED Icon 13 OP 
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:00pm  
This is a diagram of 10 areas that have subsided up to 12 feet since 1920.  Brownwood was an active community but eventually dropped below sea level and is now underwater. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
podunk Active Indicator LED Icon 8
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:03pm  
Some areas just weren't meant to be farmed on. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
ET Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:14pm  
COH is a gigantic flat area, highly built up, with soil that does not absorb. It is also not unusual to get huge rainfalls over very short periods of time. Those rains do not even have to be within Houston, lot of northern areas drain through here (like this week's storms). We could have easily absorbed the seven to ten inches of rain we got here - we actually did as we were fine through Saturday. It is when the drainage hit us from up north that wheels came off the track. I just spent two days paddling around my neighborhood so I had a first hand look. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
choclab Active Indicator LED Icon 3
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:22pm  
Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
ET Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:24pm  
Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know.
 
@choclab:
 
Question asked, question answered. Feel free to expound. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
Weathergirl5 Active Indicator LED Icon 8 Forum Moderator
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:29pm  
I assumed that the flooding in Houston was just a result of poor drainage.  There was a good article in yesterday's Houston Chronicle about ground subsidence.  Parts of Houston have sunk up to 12 feet over the past 100 years.  Some areas are still sinking at a rate of 2 inches/year.The primary cause of this subsidence is a lowering of the aquifer level.  Our soil is primarily clay, silt, and gravel, so as water is removed from the aquifer, the ground sinks.Farms pump the most water from the aquifer via wells, but some people have wells for their personal water source.  Several different ideas for stabilizing this problem have been proposed but politicians pass it off to the next generation to deal with.Much of the farming in the Great Plains are facing a similar problem.  One of the biggest aquifers, the Ogallala Aquifer, which covers 8 states (including the Texas panhandle) has been dropping about 1 foot/year since 1920.  At some point, there will not be enough water for farming in many parts of those 8 states.  Many cities also get their water supply from the aquifer and those will take priority over farming.
 
@Retired_Engineer: I read that article yesterday in the paper and I thought it was pretty interesting.  Especially the part about that poor little town that sank and everyone abandoned.  
4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
ET Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:32pm  

- - - - - - - -
>> Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know.
 
@choclab:
 
Question asked, question answered. Feel free to expound.
 
@ET:
 
I actually thought it was pretty obvious but I guess we can go on blaming Costco. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
bubbleyes72 Active Indicator LED Icon 18
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:43pm  
Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know.
 
@choclab:
 
Well I didn't know and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Thanks @Retired_Engineer, what would the world be like without people like you who don't mind educating/informing others with knowledge? 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
tguid18 Active Indicator LED Icon
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:45pm  
Development/Diversion, may be to much expansion , like new subdivisions, high rises, and other building developments, rain water cannot soak into concrete, seems like this could be caused by the 52 families a day moving to the Houston area from middle America to be able to make a wage that they can raise a family on.  4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
Maisey1 Active Indicator LED Icon 9
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:48pm  

- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>> Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know.
 
@choclab:
 
Question asked, question answered. Feel free to expound.
 
@ET:
 
I actually thought it was pretty obvious but I guess we can go on blaming Costco.
 
@ET:
 
I know those houses behind the mall flooded this time and would be interested in knowing if they have ever flooded before. That would be the real indication of whether the Costco is adding to the flooding issue or not in that area. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
ET Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:51pm  

- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>> Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know.
 
@choclab:
 
Question asked, question answered. Feel free to expound.
 
@ET:
 
I actually thought it was pretty obvious but I guess we can go on blaming Costco.
 
@ET:
 
I know those houses behind the mall flooded this time and would be interested in knowing if they have ever flooded before. That would be the real indication of whether the Costco is adding to the flooding issue or not in that area.
 
@Maisey1:
i have my doubts that something as small as that development can wipe out whole neighborhoods. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
uneasyrider Active Indicator LED Icon 3
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 6:54pm  
Much of the farming in the Great Plains are facing a similar problem
 
@Retired_Engineer: More trouble on the horizon ?From a CNBC article: The farmland REIT continues to acquire more acreage. Farmland Partners currently owns 257 farms with an aggregate of 107,838 acres (including 126 farms totaling 32,963 acres under contract), including acreage in Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. And Pittman is continuing to bag more land in undervalued areas, like the Southeast."There's an excess amount of water there," said Pittman, whose REIT doesn't own farmland in water-challenged California.
4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
Maisey1 Active Indicator LED Icon 9
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 7:04pm  

- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>> Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know.
 
@choclab:
 
Question asked, question answered. Feel free to expound.
 
@ET:
 
I actually thought it was pretty obvious but I guess we can go on blaming Costco.
 
@ET:
 
I know those houses behind the mall flooded this time and would be interested in knowing if they have ever flooded before. That would be the real indication of whether the Costco is adding to the flooding issue or not in that area.
 
@Maisey1:
i have my doubts that something as small as that development can wipe out whole neighborhoods.
 
@ET:
 
It reminds me of the issues that we're occurring in Bellaire. The mcmansions getting built up higher than existing older properties were causing huge flooding issues for the older properties. Maybe the target shopping area was the start of the problem, with no actual damage occuring and the Costco was the final straw. Or, non of that has anything to do with this current flooding and we just got a lot of water coming down the river at once. Hard to say without knowing the flood history of that neighborhood. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
Francita Active Indicator LED Icon 17
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 8:06pm  

- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>>
- - - - - - - -
>> Tell us geoscientists something we don't already know.
 
@choclab:
 
Question asked, question answered. Feel free to expound.
 
@ET:
 
I actually thought it was pretty obvious but I guess we can go on blaming Costco.
 
@ET:
 
I know those houses behind the mall flooded this time and would be interested in knowing if they have ever flooded before. That would be the real indication of whether the Costco is adding to the flooding issue or not in that area.
 
@Maisey1:
 
That neighborhood has flooded on a few occasions. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
Message Menu
DanStanton Active Indicator LED Icon 3
~ 7 years ago   May 30, '16 8:20pm  
Brownwood was a coastal city with an elevation of 10 feet. Next to a heavy industry area that used a lot of ground water. It wasn't brilliant to build there. 4951
* Reactions disabled on political threads.
123»
This discussion has been locked.
« Back to Main Page
Views: 178
# Replies: 41

Kingwood First Baptist Church MDO




G & S Tire and Auto Logo Madd Air-Heating and Cooling  Logo Kingwood Farmers Market Logo Kingwood Mortgage Guy Logo Kingwood Laundromat Logo The Atrium Center Logo Lampson Retirement Solutions Logo Advanced Appliance Repair Logo K&S Sportswear Logo Steven Byers Attorney At Law & Mediator Logo The Grounds Guys Logo Rosati's Pizza Logo TNT Tree Service Logo Hotworx Kingwood Logo Club Z! In Home & Online Tutoring Services of Kingwood Logo Tay's Sprinkler Service Logo Crust Pizza Co. - Kingwood Docks Logo Truwin - Windows, Doors & Siding  Logo Katy.com Logo Anthony Electric Co. Logo River Rock Pools Logo Kingwood Service Center Logo Mammoth Cleaning Services Logo Kingwood Pet Resort Logo Bahama Mama Smoke Shop Green Oak Logo K's Autohaus Logo Visibly Illustrated Logo Mallard Creek Apartments Logo
Sponsor an ad Sponsor an Ad »